Toy railroad track and roadbed unit



July 31, 195 w. c. LEVERING 2,562,623

TOY RAIUROAD TRACK AND ROADBED UNIT Filed Feb. 19, 1948 vwi/MM, WILLIAM C. LavEmNG.

Patented July 31, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY RAILROAD TRACK AND ROADBED UNIT William C. Levering, Martinsville, N. J.

Application February 19, 1948,.Serial No. 9,555

1 Claim. l

My invention is a toy railroad track and roadbed unit.

An important object of the invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned character, having the metallic rails embedded in the roadbed, producing a highly simplied permanently assembled unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide a track and roadbed unit which will closely simulate the conventional railroad track and roadbed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a toy railroad track and roadbed unit which may be formed iiexible so that it may be curved vertically or horizontally.

A further object of the invention is to provide la toy roadbed unit having a recess formed upon its lower face for the reception of electric means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toy railroad track and roadbed unit embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a plan View of same, parts broken away,

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3 3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a similar view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2, and,

Figure 5 is a transverse section through the toy railroad track and roadbed unit showing a modied form of the invention.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the numeral I0 designates a roadbed, which preferably is formed of rubber which is relatively thick and stiff enough to hold its shape but may be exed l to simulate stone ballast. The lower face I3' is also preferably roughened. The roadbed I0 is provided with a central longitudinal recess I4 extending throughout its entire length.

The numeral I5 designates rails having upper and lower heads I6 and II. These rails are em- 2 bedded within the roadbed I0, and are arranged between the flanges I2. The rails I5 are metal, and are preferably formed of some metal which is not resilient to any considerable extent, such as iron or copper, whereby the rails will retain a curved shape when bent into the same.

-The roadbed I9 is formed in a straight mold, and the rails I5 in their straight condition are suitably supported in the mold cavity. The plastic material, such as rubber, is introduced into the mold cavity and molded about the rails I5, which become embedded therein, as shown and described. The rubber is of course suitably vulcanized within the mold cavity, as is well known. During this molding operation, one or more pairs of vertical openings I8 vare molded in the roadbed I9, lead to the lower heads I1 and discharge into the recess is. The roadbed I0, cross-ties II, and anges I2 are formed integral.

As stated, the railroad track and roadbed unit are originally formed straight, and being bendable or flexible, may be bent or curved horizontally or vertically, to assume the desired shape. The roadbed I0, which may or may not be bent or curved, is arranged upon a rigid base I9 and rigidly secured thereto by cement at the line 20.

The numeral 2| designates control wires, mounted within the recess I4, and having connection with branch lead wires 22 extending through openings I8 and soldered or otherwise electrically connected with the lower heads I'I, as shown. The rails I5 may therefore be connected with the opposite poles of the source of current, for supplying the current to the motor of the toy locomotive traveling upon the rails I5.

The roadbed I0 is molded from some exible material like rubber, when it is desired that the combined track and roadbed unit be flexed. When such unit is constructed in a straight length not to be bent, then the roadbed unit may be molded from a rigid phenolic thermosetting plastics material such as Bakelite Both materials are electrical insulators.

In Figure 5, I have shown a slight modication of the invention, The track and roadbed unit is identical with that shown in connection with the rst form of the invention except that theI roadbed I0 is shown as formed from a molded thermosetting plastics material, such as Bakelite, and the openings I8 are omitted. This roadbed I0 is mounted upon spacing elements '23, and are rigidly secured thereto by cement, at the line 24. These spacing elements 23 are mounted upon a rigid base 25 secured thereto by cement at the line 26. The recess I4 is in communication with a passage 21 formed by the spacers 23. The enlarged opening formed by the recess I4 and passage 21 receives a magnetic coil 29 and control wires 29. This magnetic coil produces a point of magnetism which travels longitudinally of the coil and track, and will co-act with an iron part secured to a toy locomotive or the like, arranged upon the track to cause the same to travel longitudinally of the track.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

A toy railroad trackand roadbed unit comprising a unitary continuous flexible roadbed formed of moulded plastic material, the roadbed having its upper surface roughened to simulate rock ballast, the roadbed being provided upon its upper face with raised transverse projections simulating crossties, said roadbed being provided at its transverse center and upon its lower face with a longitudinal recess which reduces the thickness of the roadbed at its top adjacent to the transverse center of the roadbed, the sides of the recess terminating short of the longitudinal edges of the roadbed so that the roadbed has relatively wide thick longitudinal marginal edge portions, and separate flexible substantially non-resilient metallic rails having upper and lower heads, the rails having their body portions and lower heads embedded within the relatively wide thick longitudinal marginal edge portions and the upper heads projecting above the upper face of the roadbed, the recess increasing the exibility of the roadbed and also receiving electric elements, the roadbed and rails being bendable as a unit to a selected curvature, the non-resilient rails being stii enough to prevent the flexible roadbed from returning the unit to the straight position after it is bent and released so thatthe unit retains its selected curvature.

WILLIAM C. LEVERING.

vREFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

